Happy Birthday To Me
by Elusive Panther
Summary: John gets pushed over the edge and decides to run away from home, and heads to Texas to see Dave. Except...John decides to take the long way to get there. Running into friends and trouble alike, will he even make it to Dave or will he get lost along the way? ((crappy summary, better story. first JohnDave/HammerTime/PepsiCola fic. plz be nice! might have triggers. humanstuck!))
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Okay, trying my luck at JohnDave here, so, yeah. I do not own Homestuck.**

"Happy birthday to me,

Happy birthday to me,

Happy birthday dear John,

Happy birthday to me." I smiled a bitter smile, "And many more to come."

It was six minutes past midnight, and my childhood friends just cancelled their plans with me. I had felt pretty heartbroken, since my dad had been hyping me up about my birthday for the last few days, and I hadn't noticed that it had gotten to me.

I honestly didn't really like my birthday. I was fine with other people's birthdays, but, a day dedicated to me, sounded really selfish in my eyes, and I didn't like it when a group of people stared at me, expecting me to do certain things, and in the end, it made me dread next year's birthday.

Then again, I wasn't a party person. I liked small gatherings, not huge parties. I didn't have anything against them, just didn't really like them.

A distinct ring came from my computer, and I sat down at my desk lazily, and saw pesterchum open, like always, and a new window was open, red text shining back at me. I really didn't feel like talking to anyone at the moment.

-turntechGodhead [TG] started pestering ectoBiologist [EB] at 12:14 AM-

TG: hey john surprised youre still awake

EB: yeah, I couldn't sleep :B

TG: I see

TG: whats up?

EB: just finished watching Con Air. Best. Movie. EVER.

TG: ….i see

EB: ?

TG: is something wrong, john?

EB: Noooooooope! Why do you ask?

TG: seems like some things bothering you.

EB: nope. :B

TG: okay. cool.

EB: hey, Dave, I'm going to try to go to sleep again, so, good night.

TG: nite john

-turntechGodhead [TG] ceased pestering ectoBiologist [EB] at 12:21 AM-

I flopped back unto my bed, burying my head into pillows, muffling the groan escaping my mouth. How did he catch on so quickly? I mean, it's a bit a hard to read expressions through a computer, right? I stifled another groan, realizing the time. I still had school the next day. I wasn't lucky like Rose who had her birthday in December, and the chances of a snow day on her birthday was quite high, unlike my birthday was in April, and in Washington no less.

I sat up and walked to my closet, pulling out a pair of blue pajamas, and slipped them on, turning off the light on my way to the bed. I collapsed onto the mattress, face first, letting out a long groan, dreading school the next day. I reached up and turned on my alarm, setting it to 5:30 AM, and then slid under the covers, waiting for sleep to drag me under.

I laid there for a while, making out shapes on my ceiling, thinking about what the next day would hold. I spent hours trying to fall asleep, until I gave up, and quickly brought my computer to my bed, popping in a random movie, watching the movie with blank eyes, only registering the movie had actually been playing when the final credits started to roll. I sighed and looked up at my clock, the time reading 4:45 AM. I quickly decided that it was about time to get up anyways, so I untangled the covers from around my body, and slowly got up, the side effects of pulling an all-nighter already rearing its ugly head. I walked about house, not worried about waking my father, since he was on a week-long business trip.

I stumbled into the kitchen, pulling random things out of the fridge and cabinets, spacing out as I munched on stale cereal. After I had rinsed my bowl and spoon, and walked back up to my room, dressing in a pair of jeans, a black T-shirt, and a big blue hoodie. I walked down the stairs once more and picked up my back pack at the bottom, and I glanced at the clock hanging on the wall, and walked out the door, since it was only five o'clock, I would have plenty of time to simply walk to school. I started down my driveway, hitting the road. The sun hadn't risen yet, and I didn't expect it to rise anytime soon. I set to a fast walk, and pulled out my phone, opening pesterchum, only seeing no one online. Not like I could blame them, different time zones were hard to work around, especially when balancing school and homework in the mix.

But, for some odd reason, I felt the need to tell someone about the small things that were running about my mind, even if they were half asleep. I was just about to pester Dave, when my phone rang. I closed pesterchum, and opened my messages, seeing that the newest one was from my father.

Hello Son. My Work Trip Has Been Extended. Happy Birthday. How Old Are You Now?

I stopped walking, just staring at the black text. My own father didn't even know how old I was. That just hurt. My mother was dead. My nana was dead. I only had Jade as a sister, but she didn't even live with us. So why was it so hard for my father to remember how old I was? I would maybe understand if he got my birth date wrong, but my age? Even worse, this wasn't the first time this had happened. Multiple times in middle school, I had retaken tests after school, and I would have to wait five hours after the test because my own father had forgotten his only son. He went on business trips, and then almost forgot what I looked like. It wasn't a silly joke he pulled on me either. This was pure forgetfulness. And it hurt. It hurt more than it should have.

I could feel tears start to form and I blinked them away quickly. I wasn't to cry for the bastard this time. I turned on my heel and headed for home. Once there I stomped up the stairs to my bedroom, deciding to not go to school. I threw my backpack onto my bed and I stormed up to my bedroom wall, where a giant US map hung, and I placed my finger on Maple Valley, the place where I lived. Grabbing a red marker from my desk, I drew a line, from Maple Valley through Idaho, to Montana, down to Wyoming, to Nebraska, through Iowa, into Illinois, Ohio, then West Virginia, into Virginia, then dropping down into North and South Carolina, into Georgia and into Florida. Then, I hooked it into the coasts of Alabama and Mississippi, crossing into Louisiana, and then ending in Texas.

I was going to go on a small trip. But if I was going to leave on my own, I was going to have fun. Traveling half the country would be worth it, and as a bonus, I was going to be seeing my best bro, Dave. And I wasn't going to change my mind.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Thank you for reading! I know buses don't run all night in some places, but in here, just pretend they do. I do not own Homestuck.**

I dumped my school supplies from my backpack; grabbing a pair of jeans, an extra T-shirt, underwear, socks, phone, and phone charger. I contemplated on taking my computer, but the only thing I needed was pesterchum, and since I had the software on my phone as well, it only would've taken up space, so I left it on my desk like usual. I ripped my map off the wall and folded it up, stashing it in the front pocket of my backpack. I walked to my closet, moving a few hangers to reveal a small shelf, with a fairly large jar. I twisted off the lid and pulled out multiple dollar bills, and stuffed my entire savings into my wallet, also stashing that next to the map. I grabbed the bag and ran down the stairs, heading to the kitchen, quickly making five sandwiches, snatching three apples, and two water bottles, shoving the food into my bag. I swung my backpack onto my shoulder, and walked to the dining room table, where my lanyard and keys lay.

I hesitated, thinking over my plan. But, if I didn't leave now, then what would happen? Nothing would change, my dad would still forget about me. It wasn't as if my father would notice my absence, and if he did, he would just forget, and head off to work every morning, then come back late. So why stay here?

With new determination, I seized my keys and ran out the door, locking it on the way out. I walked down the street, not sure where I was going, so I pulled up my mobile map app, and quickly found a route over the Cascade Mountains to Idaho, heading to the bus station. Once there, I waited an hour for the bus to take me away from hell, watching as people walked pass me on the streets, getting on the respected bus once it had finally arrived. Once I had paid my fare, I sat in the front, taking the closest seat, trying to ignore the stares pointed in my direction. I guess it was strange to see a high schooler ditching school alone, but no one spoke up to ask me.

I watched as evergreen trees whizzed past, and once we entered the mountain pass, small and large streams of water fell down the side of the mountains, creating small waterfalls. The sky had turned dark when the bus had passed halfway through the pass, and I shifted in my seat, the bus quiet and brightly lit, keeping its passengers awake the entire trip, though a few people in the back of the bus were snoring softly. People had stopped glancing at me, minding their own business, either looking out the windows, or were playing on their phones. I glanced up out the window to see we were picking up more people from a lone bus stop, out in the middle of nowhere, only three figures standing in wait. An old woman slowly paid her fare, apologizing quickly as she found a seat farther back in the bus, a business man in a black suit and tie, quickly paid and said nothing as he went straight to the back of the bus, and a blonde haired teenage girl stumbled onto the bus, giggling as she paid the bus driver, sitting across the aisle from me. I fiddled with my phone in my hands, but didn't dare turn it on, not wanting to waste power, since I didn't know when the next time I would be seeing a power outlet in the near future. I stared out the window, even though it was almost impossible to see out in the darkness, only seeing a few rocks and streams every once in a while.

The giggling girl leaned forward, resting her elbows on her knees, and spoke to me, "Excuse me, boy, but have we," a small hiccup escaped her black painted lips, "met before? You seem familiar…"

I looked the girl over. She was wearing a low cut white T-shirt with a faded pink hoodie, sleeves rolled up to her elbows, a pink skirt, black tights, white flats, and multiple thin bracelets decorating her wrists. She had blonde hair which spiked out at the ends, and had almost pink eyes.

"Dunno. Do I look like someone you know?" I asked, curious about her answer.

"Janye! I mean, Janey! Yeah. Jane Crocker. You related to her?" The girl giggled some more, smiling wide.

I nodded, "Yeah, she's my cousin. She lives on the east side of these mountains."

"I knew it! Yeah, I'm going to visit her now. I'm Roxy by the way. So, if I remember correctly, you're John, right? Where are you traveling to?"

I nodded again, trying to act calm while I thought about a good excuse to tell my cousin's best friend. "I'm headed to my friend's house. He's not in the area, so I thought paying him a visit would be nice."

Even in my mind my little story sounded dumb, but it was even worse when I actually said it out loud. What if she asked what friend? I could vaguely remember Roxy's last name was La…Lalonde? It was only a brief phone call from Jane that she had brought up Roxy, and if I remembered right, Roxy was Dirk's cousin, and Dirk was Dave's older brother. Meaning, if I told her I was on my way to Dave's, then I would be in huge trouble, because if she told Jane I was headed to Texas, she would tell my father once he got back, then poof. Back home in hell.

I wasn't even halfway out of the state, and if I got caught here, it would look kind of pitiful.

But, thankfully, Roxy just dropped the subject, and started talking about random things, and I offered a few words here and there to keep her talking. After a few hours, we had gone completely through the Cascade Mountains, and Roxy stood to leave.

"Okya, I mean okay, this is my stop, so, bye."

"Hey, Roxy, nice talking with you, but can you do me a favor?"

"Sure thing."

"Can you not tell Jane you met me here? You see, I was planning on making her a surprise visit once I was done visiting my friend, and I would still like to keep it a surprise. Please?" I asked, smiling politely.

Roxy grinned, "Yeah. That's a great idea. No problem. Consider it doen. Done."

She gave me a smile and a small wave as she walked out the doors, thanking the bus driver on the way out. During this time, the bus driver went off the bus, and a new driver took the previous driver's place.

The driver announced that he was going to be taking us to Idaho border, and then quickly turned off his mic. He left the bus stop and headed for the freeway, the bus going quiet once more, and I watched the landscape fly by. It was currently 5:47 AM, and I was determined not to fall asleep. I decided to turn on my phone and open pesterchum, hearing the familiar ring almost immediately.

Seeing quite a few messages from Dave, I read through them, and quickly messaged him back.

-ectoBiologist [EB] began pestering turntechGodhead [TG] at 5:55 AM-

EB: hey dave are you awake?

I waited a few moments for his response, and rested my head back against the seat, sleep quickly taking hold of me.


End file.
